After three outfit changes, I
settled on my trusty LBD, paired
with some stockings and a leather
jacket because the temperature was
starting to drop. I added a touch of
pink lippie to brighten up my look,
called a taxi and arranged to meet
Lucy and the guys at her place.
James opened the door while
Lucy was finishing her hair and he
introduced me to Michael. He was
tall with a mop of brunette curls and
he immediately offered to hang up
my jacket and pour me a drink. Nice
guy, I thought.‘I AM SO EXCITED FOR A DANCE!’
EXCLAIMED LUCY, bounding down
the stairs towards the three of us
and an awaiting bottle of prosecco
on the table. I was looking forward
to a night out as well. Between my
studies and a recent break-up, it
had been a full-on few months. We
downed the bubbles and headed out
to a trendy new bar just around the
corner from Lucy’s house.
While James and Lucy walked
ahead, Michael told me about his
law degree, his recent trip to Ibiza
and his dog. An intelligent, nice guy
who loves animals? What a catch! I
thought as we entered the venue.
‘What can I get you to drink?’
Michael asked, making a beeline
for the bar.
‘A vodka soda would be great,
thanks. I’ll get the next round?’
I replied.
‘No, I don’t let girls pay,
especially pretty ones,’ he said,
with a wink.
‘Well then I’m definitely getting
the next one,’ I joked.
‘They’re all over each other!’
Michael remarked as we stood in
the corner watching Lucy and James
practically dry-hump next to the
DJ booth. ‘Could I crash at your
place tonight? I don’t want to be
around while they, ya know...’ he
asked. I mean, I guess he could sleep
on the sofa. My housemates are away,
so they won’t mind, I thought.‘Sure,’ I replied. ‘But you’ll have
to stay on the sofa and I have an
early morning gym class, so you’ll
have to get up quite early to go back
to Lucy’s, is that OK?’
‘Totally! Thanks so much. Now,
you need another drink.’
At the bar, Michael grabbed my
waist and pulled me closer, rubbing
his fingers up and down. I started
to feel slightly uncomfortable. ‘I’ve
just been through a really rough
break-up,’ I told him, ‘so I’m really
not looking for anything.’‘ALL GOOD,’ HE REPLIED,
TAKING HIS ARM OFF MY
WA I S T. ‘I think you’re
beautiful, but I’m happy
to be friends.’ Phew.
A few more drinks
down and we were all on
the dancef loor cutting
some serious shapes – or
so we thought. ‘Another
drink?’ Michael asked.
‘Just a water, thanks. I
don’t want to be hungover.’
He returned with a vodka, lime
and soda for me instead of a glass of
water. I took one sip and then put it
on a table. I never touched it again.
We kept dancing until a little
past midnight, when we decided to
call it a night. We said goodbye to
Lucy and James, who were falling
over each other by this point, and
Michael and I hopped into a taxi
to my place.‘AND HERE IS YOUR BED FOR THE
NIGHT,’ I TOLD MICHAEL, pointing to
my sofa. ‘Is one pillow enough?’
‘That’s great,’ he replied. I went
to my bedroom to get changed into
my PJs, closing the door behind me.
But then Michael walked in. ‘I’m just
changing, can you get out?’ I was
shocked that he’d followed me in.
‘Sarah, come on, you know you
want to f*ck me,’ he said. I told him
I didn’t, over and over, but he kept
on walking closer until I was at the
wall of my bedroom.‘Please, Michael, just go
to bed,’ I pleaded.
He grabbed my wrists
and held me against the wall,
forcing his body against mine
and trying to kiss me. I tried
to wriggle from his grip but
he was too strong. What have I
done? I thought. ‘Please, stop,’ I
begged. I tried to kick him but
missed. I felt a searing pain hit
my ribs and I fell to the ground
in agony. He had punched me in
the chest. I tried to get
my breath but it hurt to
move. Michael started
pulling off my stockings
and undies. I was kicking,
but every movement took
my breath away. Tears
started streaming down
my face. ‘Why are you
doing this?’ I asked.‘YOU ASKED FOR IT,’ HE
REPLIED. He stood up
and started unbuttoning
his jeans, and that’s when I found
the strength to make a run for it.
I jumped up and made for the door
when I felt Michael’s body weight
push me to the ground and turn me
over. I started to scream for help,
but he held one of his hands over
my mouth to shut me up and used
the other to hold me down by my
neck. ‘Shut up, you slut,’ he said,
kicking off his jeans. He got on top
of me and I could feel his hard penis
rub against my thigh. ‘No one is
going to hear you. If you don’t want
me to hurt you, you’ll just shut the
f*ck up.’ I nodded, terrified of what
he was capable of. That’s when he
pulled a condom from the pocket
of his jeans, put it on and raped me,
holding me down the whole time
and ramming into me with brute
force. I closed my eyes and dug my
nails into my clenched fists.
When he was done he leaned
forward and said, ‘If you tell any-
one, I’ll tell them you wanted this.
No one will believe you.’ I felt his‘Why does he
want to be my
friend after
hurting me?’
100 COSMOPOLITAN SEPTEMBER 2017